I admire the clarity of your request and will try to think of anything that fits, meara
Literary Buffistas 3: Don't Parse the Blurb, Dear.
There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."
I mean, I just re-read The Goblin Emperor as a soothing antidote to The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, which I found extremely upsetting. Like, The Last Girl Scout (which I read right before that) was vastly less upsetting to me, although that might be due to the content warnings at the front, so I knew was I was getting into. Also, TLGS is full of queer joy, even in the midst of terrible things.
I think, though, Red Heir and A Wizard's Guide To Defensive Baking would fit your requirements.
Anyone want to recommend calm soothing books?
I did compile a list recently of calm soothing games where you basically drift around and explore cool visuals.
My favorite calm anything is Enchanted April. It is a book by Elizabeth von Arnie, and a 1990s movie. But it is very calm.
Aargh. Von Arnim.
Anyone want to recommend calm soothing books?
I just checked goodreads to see if anything I read this year qualifies, and nope, I got nothing.
I usually go to childhood favorites when I'm looking for a calm read.
I know I am an outlier here, but I found The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires kinda soothing? In a way? I get why others don’t, tho’.
meara, if you’re ok with fluffy-sweet YA paranormal, I recommend the Vampire Kisses series by Ellen Schreiber.
I did enjoy Wizards Guide to Defensive Baking! And Goblin Emperor, though it took a while to get into it the first time I read it. Have not heard of aRed Heir!
I found The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires kinda soothing? In a way? I get why others don’t, tho’.
I could see why you do, as the climax/ending is very cathartic, but the gender politics just Got To Me. I had to put it down a few times, I was that furious.